Free Political Speech

According to a media spokesperson with the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court website is not going to change one iota as long as Justice Joan Orie Melvin is still a member of the Supreme Court (legal issues notwithstanding.)

No update on either The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania’s website, the Supreme Court website, or on the bio page for Joan Orie Melvin.

Give it up already, folks!

Six days after the indictment of Joan Orie Melvin, The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania website still says nothing about Justice Melvin’s recent “issues.”  There is still a message thanking jurors (which I’m sure is important to a lot of people) and no change appears to have been made to the Supreme Court website or Joan Orie Melvin’s biography page.

It’s Wednesday, and we’re still in La-La Land over at The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania home page.  Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille is still thanking jurors for their service (the Justices got a big pay raise through Act 44 but jurors get only $9.00 per day for the first day and $25.00 per day after that throughout the remainder of their service.)

The Supreme Court portion of the site says nothing about Justice Joan Orie Melvin’s recent removal, nor does her biography page.

Maybe the pay raise busted their budget and they can’t afford to hire a web designer.

Black Clergy PAC does not seem to be filing campaign finance reports with the Commonwealth or the City of Philadelphia. Continue reading →

It’s all good on the Pennsylvania Courts Judiciary Website.  There is a statement from Chief Justice Ron Castille thanking jurors, and the Supreme Court’s portion of the website remains unchanged.  No mention is made of Justice Joan Orie Melvin’s indictment.

Maybe they think no one will notice.

Two high-profile notaries (if there is such a thing) have recently had their commissions revoked in Pennsylvania. Continue reading →

The home page of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania is currently trumpeting “New Supreme Court Rules Direct Funds to Civil Legal Aid for the Indigent.”  It has no mention of the recent indictment of Supreme Court Justice and “woman of faith” Joan Orie Melvin. Continue reading →

Innumerable campaign finance reports list “consulting fees” among their expenses.

In many cases, these are payments to ward leaders or other community leaders that help ensure that they will support the candidate in question.  While perfectly legal in most cases, it indicates that our democratic process may be bought and sold at a very minute level.

Occasionally, an incumbent politician will give consulting fees to family members or members of his/her staff.  Why does this occur? Continue reading →